In this six-module course, you will learn how businesses and organizations behave in situations in which strategic decisions are interdependent, i.e. where my actions affect my competitors' profits and vice versa. Using the basic tools of game theory, we will analyse how businesses choose strategies to attain competitive advantage.
This course is also available in Chinese. Please go to our course catalog to access the Chinese version of Competitive Strategy.

Fechas límite flexibles

Aprox. 17 horas para completar

Inglés (English)

Subtítulos: Inglés (English), Ucraniano, Chino (simplificado)

Programa - Qué aprenderás en este curso

Semana

1

Horas para completar

2 horas para completar

Take Care of Your Competitors

In this module, we introduce the basic concepts of game theory and use strategic games to learn competitor analysis. We answer “what is a strategy?” and look at the different ways to determine a best or dominant strategy. We also discuss the concepts of Nash Equilibrium and Prisoners’ Dilemma - and learn that it is important to anticipate and take into consideration the actions of the other players. Lastly, we analyse what happens when we change the game from simultaneous (where everybody acts at the same time) to sequential (where players move after each other)....

Why Firms Work Together

According to economic theory, companies compete with each other in the marketplace. In reality, they are often friendly and cooperate with each other. In this module, we attempt to understand this strategy, and why it is good for the organizations involved. With this, we evaluate the factors that encourage or hinder cooperation and apply them in different examples....

Complementary Products and Strategic Partnerships

In this module, we introduce complements and discuss what they mean to us in economic terms. We study why companies like to sell their products in a bundle - and how complementarity creates switching costs. We also discuss the importance of that coordination among companies with complementary products. Finally, we look at strategic partnerships as a powerful tool to align companies’ interests in this specific setting....

Entering a New Market

This module is about market entry. We first look at different tools to assess the attractiveness of a market – and then discuss strategies that have proven to be helpful for entering a new market, such as positioning and marketing strategies. We also look from the other perspective, and analyse what established businesses can do to keep new competitors out of the market....

Instructor

Acerca de Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU)

As one of Europe's leading research universities, LMU Munich is committed to the highest international standards of excellence in research and teaching. Building on its 500-year-tradition of scholarship, LMU covers a broad spectrum of disciplines, ranging from the humanities and cultural studies through law, economics and social studies to medicine and the sciences....

Paired with humorous elements and illustrating examples, the Competitive Strategy and Organization Design specialization is the ideal choice for curious individuals who enjoy unique learning experiences and innovative teaching approaches. Its style is likely to appeal especially to young, middle-aged and young-at-heart learners.
The specialization is indended for learners interested in engaging in fundamental theories and concepts of strategy and organization and applying these to practice. Employed professionals and management students will benefit from deepening and refreshing their existing knowledge by means of our specialization. Learners with non-business backgrounds will gain valuable additional business insights complementing their existing knowledge.
Participants will learn to understand and analyze
● behavior of organizations in situations in which strategic decisions are interdependent
● strategies to build up and maintain a customer base
● internal workings of an organization as well as its interaction with the outside world, i.e. partners, complementors and competitors
● the design of an effective organization that can compete, grow and adjust flexibly to different environments
This specialization is the only online learning program in which students can learn and laugh at the same time. That said, we are looking forward to learning and laughing with you!...